Chinese Mandarin Teaching Jobs for Westerners in Thailand Schools

**prkuehn** · 3rd May 2009 10:14

For the past two years I have been living and teaching English in the Bangkok area. Although I enjoy teaching English and have done it almost all my life, I would really like more to have the opportunity to teach Chinese Mandarin in any kind of school in Thailand. I began my Mandarin studies more than 40 years ago, and throughout the years I have picked up the Taiwanese and Yunnanese dialects of Chinese. I have proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and have spent almost 10 years of my life living in Taiwan. I have also had experience teaching Mandarin while I was in the U.S. I wish it was as easy for me to get a job teaching Mandarin as it is for a non-native English speaker to get a job here. Although all schools offer Mandarin to their students, the language doesn't seem as important here as English is. It seems like most of the schools here hire Thai Chinese who know Mandarin and also bring a few Mandarin natives from China. The salary for Mandarin natives is quite lower than what foreigners get for English at my private school, however, at the first government school where I taught, a Mandarin native was paid the same as me. Are there any other farang Chinese Mandarin teachers reading this thread? Has anyone found a job teaching in any school in Thailand? Perhaps 25-50 years from now the demand for Mandarin teachers in Thailand will be the same as it is for English teachers now.

**zaphodbeeblebrox** · 3rd May 2009 10:23

My school usually hires two Chinese natives to teach Mandarin. This year, we hired 4 Thai Chinese teaching assistants as well. You might try sucking it up, accepting lower pay in a TA position, and work your way into a teaching position. However, you shouldn't expect to be able to get the same earnings as you would teaching English in a Thai school, because a Chinese native will teach for less.

**bet** · 3rd May 2009 11:32

^ Exactly.

My old school used to take to native mandarin teachers, they were excellent teachers. The students progress far in Chinese far outstripped their progress in English. They put the native English speaking teachers to shame.

Yet they were paid about half of what the native English speaking teachers got.

**kiwiling** · 3rd May 2009 14:42

Originally Posted by bet

Yet they were paid about half of what the native English speaking teachers got.

Their pay is heavily subsidised by the Chinese government as far as I know...so the Thai schools get them for nothing or very little I think. The ones I worked with were real honeys...and excellent teachers...one was so good at English she would have put some Filipinos to shame.

**Jasper** · 3rd May 2009 15:49

I suppose Thais will want a native speaker no matter how good you are. I'd be tempted to straddle both 'arenas' apply for jobs where you mainly teach English but can also do a few hours of Chinese a week, and build up from there.

**bet** · 3rd May 2009 16:37

Originally Posted by kiwiling

Their pay is heavily subsidised by the Chinese government as far as I know.

I think you're right there. Our teachers come from the demonstration school of Yunnan University.

The first year we had one, she was just lovely. Fluent English and a great teacher. The Thais loved her, she would sing old Chinese songs on the karaoke at school parties. She did a year here and then went to Shanghai to teach westerners Chinese.

The following year we had two, both really sweet ladies, who did a tremendous amount of work. This year we'll have another two.

**Asper** · 4th May 2009 13:23

The Rajabhat I teach at had a teacher of Mandarin from China, though as he majored in Thai studies in university he spoke fluent Thai as well.
He got paid the same base salary as the farangs, 19k or so, but instead of 8k housing allowance they paid his housing expenses directly (roughly 4k I think). So he was earning 4k less than us. Lovely man. Eventually he got fed up with the laziness of his students, and went back to China hoping to open a Thai restaurant.
Anyway, yes there seems to be a double standard regarding teachers of Mandarin, but there is a demand. He used to go to Bangers on a Sunday and teach a rich codger at 1k per hour.